User Reviews

Classic beer bar with a half circle wooden bar and a very respectable number of taps, as well as bottles. Some seated areas around the bar as well as in a smaller seated section, with some TVs playing sports, and a bloody mary bar, but the focus here is the bar and the beer, and they do a good job of bringing in some rare or good beers.

However, the food does a good job of competing and/or pairing with the beer, as the list is pretty expansive with some twists on some classics, as well as the basics, and all seems to be very well made and tasty. There are some formidable dishes, but not too large.

I have been here several times - where oh where did my review go. Last night’s visit proves this as a long time premiere destination, arguably the best in cleveland. Sizable friendly bar, astute service, reasonable bottles to have or bring home. Good sized patio. Very decent brews of their own. Good sometimes great guest taps

This place is built like an old Jack-in-the-Box converted into a brewpub. The interior is maroon with wood stained highlights. It is decorated with various bottles and tap handles, beer flags, tin advertisements, and neon signs. In the center is a half-moon tarnished wooden bar, supported by a few wooden tables, and ample patio seating. Classic rock that pre-dates all the staff plays on the overhead. The scene is completed by a few televisions, a juke box, and an ATM machine.

Behind the bar is an island that holds most of the bar’s glassware. There are a few tulips available, but it’s mostly shakers. This landmark is flanked by a couple dozen draft handles. Above the facets are televisions that give a live update of everything on draft. There are two casks and an impressive bottle list. The draft list includes Goose Island, Dogfish Head, Flying Dog, Southern Tier, Rogue, Victory, Lagunitas, and Epic. They also have six of their own “Buckeye” beers (they do no brew on-site).

I asked the friendly bartender for a local recommendation and all they had were their beers and one from Columbus Brewing. I had the Buckeye IPA and it was awful. That was kind of disappointing, but overall this is a pretty good beer bar. The certainly had enough handles to be respectable, and a decent bottle menu. I’d come again, but I’d think twice before I ordered another house beer.

What I liked: mind-blowing tap list, two cask engines, many hard-to-find draughts and bottles, large comfortable bar, Stanley Cup Playoffs on the flatscreen, good crowd, capable servers, awesome breweriana throughout the interior.

I don't have a bad thing to say about Buckeye Beer Engine and highly recommend it to anyone looking for some great beers.

I landed in Cleveland and remembered reading about a couple of bars near the airport and decided to check one out before heading down the road for the week. I opened Google Maps on my phone and simply searched "beeradvocate" to discover Buckeye Beer Engine just a few miles north of CLE.

Madison Street wasn't looking too promising and upon seeing the bar I had my doubts, but they all left my mind upon opening the door and seeing the giant U-shaped bar.

It was just after 5 o’clock and I took a seat at the bar; I was immediately greeted and given both draft and bottle lists in addition to the food menu. The draft list was a more detailed list of their beer board and offered ABV, style, serving vessel, and cost of 4 ounce samples. The bottle list was eight pages long and was separated by style. Both lists included local, national, and international craft beers in all styles.

I ordered the “Hippie Burger” with shoestring fries, both of which I recommend. The burger came with a “breaded pickle” (a fried pickle) which was a bonus and made me think of my Texas home.

By the time I left the bar had started to fill up with all walks of life, both old and young, eating and drinking their fill in a fantastic bar with friendly staff, excellent food, and fantastic beer.

Have been to Buckeye Beer Engine many times,including three times on my recent visit to the Cleveland area.

First off,I have never encountered the short pours the previous reviewer was complaining of.Never.As a matter of fact one of the days we went was my anniversary,and when the bartender heard us toast each other,she gave us both a free beer.And we arent locals.Pretty classy.

The beer selection is great,and prices are pretty reasonable.They always have had a fantastic selection,and a few things I have not tried,which is not easy in my case.

SHORT POURS. Need I say more? I'll say it again: SHORT POURS. I sat at the bar recently and watched pint after pint after pint be filled with at least an inch of foam, which effectively made each glass about a 12 oz serving. I even continued to watch the glasses around the bar to see how low the foam settled, just to be sure of what I was seeing. (I was drinking out of snifters.) SHORT POURS on top of prices already on the pricey side don't leave a good taste in one's mouth. SHORT POURS suck. I've been here a half dozen times and the beer selection is above average, the burgers are great, but the beers are a tad on the pricey side. SHORT POURS are the reason Alebird wont be back anytime soon. There are too many alternatives out there for drinking fine beer and not getting a SHORT POUR. Not slamming this place out of malice. Many good things about this place, but if you're going to charge me for a pint of beer, I better get a pint of beer. Without actually measuring one, I suspect the snifters were SHORT, too. If your money is tight and you're looking for a couple of pints of beer, all you'll get here are SHORT POURS, so be warned.

The atmosphere is good, a large room defined by a large half-circle shaped bar. They have raised tables with stools in an area adjacent to the bar. There is also a separate area with tables and I think a few booths.

The beer selection is very good. They have about 30 beers on tap, with 3 or 4 Buckeye beers available at and a very large selection of bottled beer. A beer engine was also running. Most beers are served in pint glasses with the ”big beers” offered in 12 ounce brandy snifters. Prices are reasonable, mostly $4 to $6 per glass. I particularly appreciate the fact that they had a large variety of beer styles both on tap and in bottles.

The staff are knowledgeable about their beers and are happy to discuss and recommend their favorites. Four ounce beer samples are available on a sliding scale price which varies from $1.25 to around $3.50 per sample.

Burgers, sandwiches and dogs were on the menu but we didn’t sample the food. Bartender was very attentive.

Stopped here after Fat Head's on my random trip to Cleveland. It was a sleepy, windy Monday afternoon.

This place is tough to spot. Its very unassuming and barely has any signage. Luckily it has its own parking lot.

The interior is nothing to write home about. Kinda dim, full of dark wood and corny, old chairs and bar stools. The beer menu is one of those black dry erase boards. The place is small-ish. I really did get envious over the beer related decorations that adorned the walls. The outer walls display empty bottles and tap handles. Being the nerd that I am I enjoyed looking at them all. There are awesome, and probably very rare, posters and signs all over the place from breweries from all over the world.

Again, it was a Monday afternoon so there were only a handful of other people and one bartender. We had no problem being helped though.

When we sat down we were given the beer list. And what a list it is! I've heard that this place has the best bottle list in the state. That's no undersatement! The bottle list was 9 pages! There's so much beer on that list that I could almost never come to a decision. The prices on this list seemed all over the place. Looking at the to go prices, some bottles were very cheap. Often times around $2-$3 less than what I'm used to paying. But other times a bottle is around $4 MORE than what I'm used to seeing. Its pretty strange, but might have to do with turn over and specifics that pertain to each certain beer.

Either way, that bottle list blew me away. Some things were there that I've never once seen on shelves in Columbus.

The tap list was good too. Mostly house brews but they had a lot of guest taps, many of which I was unfamiliar with. They seem to enjoy bringing in very obscure beers, and they do a good job of it. They had many Buckeye beers that are not bottled. Prices for the tap stuff was very low, especially for house beers.

I had the only selection from their cask that was pumping that day. It was Buckeye Engine Mild and it was the single best mild I've ever had. Down right stellar.

This is another one that I'll never again miss when I'm up on the lake. The atmosphere is pretty dive-ish but these people know beer.

Friday evening, not that busy as you might expect. Arrived around 6pm and got 4 seats at the bar. Hurray!

Atmosphere: U-shaped bar with tables surrounding for drinking/dining pleasure. Small gathering of tables to left of bar for additional seating. Comfortable atmosphere and looks like most people are there for good beer.

Selection: I have been here before so I know the tap selection is stellar but this weekend they were promoting Xmas in July with 10 to 12 taps devoted to Xmas beers. Sorry, but I was not in the mood for high alcohol beers when the temp outside was 97 that day. Bottle selection was pretty outstanding though and that is what I stuck with mostly. I particularly liked thier own Buckeye Brewing Hippie IPA, so much so that I got some to go.

Service was good, no complaints. They did give us samples to try before buying which is a plus.

Food: was good as I remember from my first visit but did not rate on this visit.

Overall: I really like this place and highly recommend for beer geeks. I was disappointed with my visit that coinincided with Xmas in July event but that will not stop me from returning again.

Got there early Sunday evening and it was a bit busy, walked right in and sat outside. Went inside later and sat at the bar. Signs everywhere (I loved the old Blatz sign by the front door), tap markers on the wall. Kind of small, but loved it. I knew that they had a great beer list, but it had to take me 20 minutes to read over all the bottles. The menu was up to date. The server and bar manager knew tons. They had to love and/or hate me, I kept ordering rarer big bottles that they had to find downstairs. The food, my my, chips and dip, a good starter. Then a Fatty Melt, chicken and bacon sandwiched between two grilled cheese sandwiches. Bleu cheese slaw on the side. This might have been the closest to heaven I have ever been. Prices were good, I can't complain on a big bar tab, I knew what I was ordering and if it was in Pittsburgh, it would have been double. I can't wait to go back!!

A: I dropped in as a pit stop on my way from Rochester, NY to Grand Rapids, MI. The place is decorated with tap handles, beer tins, and rare bottles. The music was awesome, with jazz ringing through the air.

Q: I hate this category, do I comment on the quality of the food? the selection? Oh well, I guess I will just tell you that this place strives for quality.

S: My server was very helpful, and knew the Buckeye beers well.

S: 27 taps, 2 casks, and a great bottle selection including several hard-to-find brews. Not only is their tap count impressive, but it is eclectic; there seems to be at least one example of every major style. My brother asked for a bud light, and was politely told that it wasn't on the list. They also have a handful of their own brews, which are delightful.

F: I had the Hot Italian, which was a tad salty, but still enjoyable overall. Their food is interesting, but don't expect anything that is on the light side.

V: 8-9$ for a sandwhich or burger, 4-6$ for a normal draft. Very reasonable I would say. I definitely suggest stopping by this place for a good brew.

The is one of the better beer places in Cleveland, if not the best. What it lacks in atmosphere it makes up in selection and quality. The room feels like any other west side bar, and it leaves a lot to be desired. But take a look at the taplist and all of that quickly changes. Servers were attentive but not annoying and overall it was a nice place to have an evening of drinking. Cleveland has an emerging beer scene and this place really seems like a cornerstone of that. I'd like to check it out next time they have a special event tasting as well.

Hands down one of my favorite places to go. I live in Akron, OH, but try to make the forty minute drive at least once every couple weeks.

Although it might involve a wait I tend to sit right at the bar(keep an open eye they go fast). The bartenders knowledge is impressive and are always willing to answer any questions. The owners themselves are readily available and generally fun to talk beer with.

The food is great. Nothing fancy, but I have enjoyed everything I've tried. I recommend the deep fried sausage bites, onion rings, and any burger.

The ever changing beer selection is still primarily the reason I return again and again. With over twenty taps and two beers on cask at all times and an extensive bottle list, finding a beer that fits your taste is easy. Be sure to try one of the "House Brews"(Buckeye Brewing Co.). I suggest the "Buckeye Hippie IPA".

And for all you beer geeks out there this is the place to meet fellow geeks. I have turned to the stranger next to me at the bar many times and had long talks about everything beer. People come here to drink good craft beer!

To cut to the chase - for anyone from out of town, the Beer Engine is the best place to visit in Cleveland.

The atmostphere is all about beer. Not a sports bar or english pub atmosphere - beer signs, taps and bottles are the decoration. Always a number of people trying new beers, and their special events are fun and full of cool people.

Quality is wonderful. I'm as beer geeky as they come and I can always find a few things on the list I'm super psyched to try.
Service is good. All the servers are Ciccerone certified beer servers, so they know their stuff. But sometimes they're understaffed.

Selection is awesome. With 25 taps and about 500 bottles, it's easy to find something great.

Food is awesome too. Nothing too gourmet, but great burgers (everything can be subbed with a veggie burger too!), and I LOVE the Italian Torpedo and the Fatty Melt!

This place can get pricey. For me and the Mrs. it can run about $60-$100 depending on how many beers we have. About $6 for a good beer on tap and $10 for a burger.

The Wrights have created one of the best beer joints around. If you're checking this to find where to visit in Cleveland, this is the best place hands down!!

While trapped in Akron under very depressing circumstances I saw a program on local PBS about the Beer Engine and was intrigued. I had to go through Cleveland on the way out of town so I made the short detour off of HWY 90 to visit. From the outside the place looked more like an abandoned pizza hut than a brewery but the patio filled with smiling patrons hoisting pints assured me that I had found my destination.

Inside we were greeted by a friendly and knowledgeable bartender who quickly sat us and took a drink order. Service was excellent throughout our experience. Although the small interior didn't stand out as particularly interesting, we greatly enjoyed the large patio out front.

The draft list consisted of some 25 tapped beers and 2 casks. Three house brews started out the menu and were followed by a well chosen, wide variety of local and national crafts, and several imports including a few Belgian and German gems. The bottle list really stood out. I would count it in the top 5 bottle lists I've seen in America. It only contained 100-150 beers but they were very well chosen and geared toward my tastes - lost of geuze, lambics, farm house ales, and funky stuff. Still, if you want a great IPA, Buckeye's bottle list probably contains 9 of the 10 best available in Ohio. The same goes for any other style one might prefer. The list was clearly chosen by people that love to drink great beer and are as geeky about it as any hardcore Beer Advocate. All bottles are available to go at very reasonable prices.

The food menu consisted of a number of salads and appetizers, several interesting sandwiches, and tons of burger options. Buckeye is clearly a burger joint. Though I found the burger patties themselves to be a touch on the bland side (in need of some serious seasoning, garlic, salt, pepper, anything...), the toppings were fantastic. My burger, the Tuscan, came with well caramelized onions, rep peppers, and rosemary goat cheese on a toasted bun. I really enjoyed it as well as the pub chips and complementary fried pickle that accompanied it. The Caesar salad I started with was just average. The appetizers I saw served at other tables all looked amazing.

I will return to the Beer Engine on all of my future trips to the Cleveland area and highly recommend it. As much as I love visiting GLBC, I have to say that the waits are just out of control there and I am happy to find a quieter spot with even better beer at reasonable prices.

Also worth noting is the sample system. All tap beers are available in sample sizes for between $1 and $2.50, or something like that. It mirrors the system that I was very impressed with at the BOP that shares some connection to the Beer Engine.

Did some searching before a trip to Cleveland and this place seemed like it had the best tap selection and good food as well.

Much better than I could have imagined. A fantastic draft selection, the burger I had (Cajun) was great and service was spot-on for a busy place. They've got an impressive number of bottles to sample or take home and I ended up with a great haul of beer I can't get in MO. If this were in my hometown, I'd frequent it often.

The worst part about the place is that I may not ever get back to that area again...quite a shame because there were a number of other items on the menu that I would have loved to sample...

Today was my first visit to the Buckeye Beer Engine. After enjoying their beers which I bought at local retailers; I thoght Id give this place a try. Let me tell you I'm glad that I did.

The atmosphere is inviting. More like a neighborhood bar than a high end beer pub. They have a horseshoe bar with tables along the walls, and an dining area off to the side. The back wall behind the bar has around 30 taps and a price list for what they have on tap.

The quality and selection were both outstanding. The day I went they had 27 beers on tap, two being cask conditioned. Besides having their own beers on tap they had selections from Bells, Bear Republic, Brew Dog, Dark Horse, Dogfish Head, Grimbergen, Ithaca, Lagunitas, Left Hand, North Coast, Ommegang, and others I cant remember. Besides a great selection of draft beers they also had around 200 different bottled beers from around the world. Only two were macros, Pabst and Schlitz.

The service and food were also very good. I would go just for the burgers.

As for the value, I had a glass of beer, a plate of sliders with fries and breaded pickle, a couple samples, and took home a 64 oz growler for under $30 with tip.

I highly recommend this place.

Update:

Ive been back several times and all I can say is this place is dedicated to beer. They have beer dinners, beer breakfasts, Ive had vintage/aged beers there, not to mention 420 Hop Fest is coming up. This really is a great place.

I lived in Lakewood until I was 18, and my family still lives in town, so I get back a few times a year. For most of my life, the BBE location was a normal-looking restaurant. When I discovered that the Beer Engine had moved into the location, I was pleased... when I saw their beer list I flipped! The Beer Engine is another great example of the rise of the craft beer and brewing scene in Cleveland - a bar that focuses on getting great drafts from all over the country and keeping things interesting.

The biggest draw to the Beer Engine, of course, is the beer! A great selection of their own beer, rotating drafts from around the country, and a fantastic bottle list, and all at fair prices. They routinely have fairly rare or interesting releases that other bars would never bother getting. The food is really solid and routinely great, and they have a good variety of food for vegetarians. If you want to have a food experience, go for the Fatty Melt - a half-pound patty in between two grilled cheese and bacon sandwiches.

The Beer Engine isn't the most attractive place in the world, but it has nice sturdy wood tables and a nice big wooden bar to sit at. It's kinda rowdy at certain hours but I've been there plenty of times and it's really laid back. The bartenders are really nice and the majority of the servers are younger women who seem to like what they do and usually know their stuff.

The Beer Engine is a great asset to any beer lover in the area. I go there nearly every time I'm back in town.

The food was very good with very ample portions. My first choice of beers was unavailable but they had everything else. Very good selection and even bought some beer to go. Everything was reasonably priced. The service was good and the staff were very knowledgeable about the beer and the Cleveland beer scene. Very much a bar atmosphere but was no problem taking my four year old daughter and didn't get any odd looks or anything. Highly recommend this place to anyone in the area. My family really enjoyed this and I hope to return on my next visit.

When I first visited the Beer Engine in Lakewood, I was upset by two things. One, because I arrived late to a 10 am tapping of Founders Kentucky Breakfast Stout and Canadian Breakfast Stout and had missed my opportunity to try the highly acclaimed CBS... which is probably my own fault, but I'll never admit to that.
And B (ha!), because on that particular morning they were serving breakfast 'til 2pm and I was not able to try their deliciously-sounding burger of the month that I had been dying to try ever since I heard of it. How can peanut butter and beef NOT entice you?!

However, after the handful of times I have revisited the Beer Engine during Cleveland Beer Week, I have been blown away by how excellent their food is their vast selection of craft beer. Along with having about 30 awesome beers on tap at a time, usually including 1 or so on cask as well as a few of their own Buckeye Brewing Co. beers, they have a multiple page list on every table describing the beers they have in back that are offered to go as well.

The vibe is great, tons of brewery memorabilia, bottles and posters as well as a few flat screen TV's. An awesome place to hang out and definitely one of the better brewpubs in the great city of Cleveland.

Checked this place out on a recent trip to Cleveland for the BA Blackout Stout release. Not bad, but probably wouldn't be a place I'd frequent.

Atmosphere: It wasn't awful, but kind of reminiscent of a college-type kind of bar, something that I'm just not really interested in frequenting a whole lot. A little loud and there were some folks getting pretty hammered on hard liquor next to us that insisted on spinning trays on their fingers.

Quality/Selection: Pretty nice overall with a really solid variety on tap. This would be what would keep me coming back if anything would. They've also got cask brews available as well, so for me, that's pretty interesting as there's not really a ton around me here in the greater Cincinnati area. They've also got beer to go and a pretty well-stocked cooler, so even if I didn't look to hang out here, it would likely be a place I could swing by for some decent beers to stock my fridge with.

Service: Hard to judge this especially accurately because I've only been there once, but they weren't especially busy and we seemed to be largely ignored because of the table full of people getting hammered next to us (mentioned above). I'd like to think that all tables would get some form of service though.

Stopped by after a Indians game. Before walking into this place you knew that you were stepping into an amazing beer bar. Rogue, Oberon, Delirium umbrellas were open in the front patio. Walking into the bar the signs were up from all the beer goodness, a nice 15 seat bar with tables throughout. The draft selection was on a board behind the bar, beers ranging from Buckeye Brewing to Founders to New Holland, also 2 cask ales. I had the Jolly Pumpkin Cask and about 8 different samples ranging from Buckeye Brewing to special edtion Rogue. The sevice was spot on, we were treated pretty good. I know other reviewers slammed the service but I thought it was pretty good. Overall the atmosphere to the beer to the service this place is excellent.

Stopped in here for a couple of pints after dinner at Great Lakes. What a great spot!

A nice local pub feel, nicely dark, with about a 25 seat half-octagonal bar and tables all around. Close to 30 taps, with a couple of casks, all displayed on a lucite board behind the bar. Nice emphasis on Buckeye Brewing beers, which we can't get in PA, and otherwise nicely diverse. The bottle list was quite extensive but unnecessary on this visit given the great tap selections on our visit.

Service was warm, welcoming and friendly. I look forward to my next visit.